SYNOPSIS:
The sequel is filled with 'Cheetah-style' adventure, drama
and humour. The escapade begins when Galleria enters the group
in a Barcelona music festival and the spirited foursome (escorted
by Galleria's protective mum Dorothea and Chanel's mother
Juanita) embarks on a journey of a lifetime. But things get
way complicated once the four best friends arrive in Espana:
they meet Marisol, a talented solo singer and her manager/mother
Lola, who unknown to the Cheetahs may lead their group to
break up; they are shown the sights by Joaquin, a handsome
young tango dancer who falls for Dorinda; the fashion bug
bites aspiring designer Aquanette; Chanel questions the future
of her mother and Luc's relationship; Galleria begins to lose
faith in the Cheetah Credo and the Cheetah's dream of becoming
stars may be dashed forever when they are informed they've
broken a stringent festival rule.
MOVIE
REVIEW
We are
quite sure the following scenario only happens in a Disney
production - Four girls glance out of the window and see a
shooting star. They make a wish. An opportunity that can make
their wish comes true happens almost immediately. And following
that is a series of predictable plot “twists and turns”,
in true Disney tradition.
This sequel
to the successful “The Cheetah Girls” sees the
four best friends having a chance to go to exotic Barcelona
to take part in an international music festival. Along the
way, distractions surface, and the gang realize how important
it is to be there for each other on the journey.
The older
viewers would have already seen it coming: Themes of girl
power, the value of friendship and being true to yourself.
What’s refreshing about this Disney Channel Original
Movie is the element of music and dance, in a mixture of pop,
rhythm and blues, rock and hip hop.
Watch
Adrienne Ballon, Sabrina Bryan, Kiely Williams and Raven Symone
strut their stuff in catchy tunes like “The Party’s
Just Begun”, “Strut” and “Cheetah
Sisters”. These sequences are well-choreographed. After
all, the man helming this flick is Kenny Ortega, who gave
us the wildly entertaining and enjoyable “High School
Musical”. Watching the girls sing and dance is almost
like Dreamgirls performing for the younger crowd.
Then there
are the pretty scenes of Spain for the ignorant traveler to
ogle at. Shot on location in Barcelona, there is perfect reason
to have the girls singing and dancing to magnificent backdrops
and breathtaking skylines. The thing is, these young actresses
really look like they are having the time of their lives,
and it kind of made us jealous.
Other
than these sequences, the story isn’t anything to shout
about. There are the usual jealousies and diversions that
threaten to spoil the obligatory happy ending of the movie.
You even know when the 97-minute movie is coming to an end
without glancing at the timeline. When the four girls perform
this big number on stage with countless fans screaming their
heads off in the audience, followed by them leading the crowd
into the streets of Barcelona, you know that’s when
the credits are going to roll.
No,
these are not exactly spoilers. This is a formula for a feel-good
Disney production that always works.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains only a 10-minute “Cheetah
Tips: How To Be Cheetah-Licious” featurette
that has the four girls talking about girly stuff such as
makeup, accessories, wardrobe and yes, the true meaning of
friendship. There is also a music video “Dance
With Me” performed by Drew Seeley. You can
also switch on the lyrics for a sing-along edition of the
movie. If you ask us, these bonus features are kind of puny
for a disc which labels itself as a “Cheetah-Licious
Edition”.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer complements the good-looking
backdrops of Barcelona, and the audio track is available in
a variety of languages: English, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese
2.0 Surround, as well as Mandarin 2.0 Mono.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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